Baby, Don't Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live

by Chris Kattan, Travis Thrasher, Seth Meyers (Foreword)

You may know him as Mango, Mr. Peepers, the gibberish-spouting Suel Forrester, or one half of the head-bopping brothers in A Night at the Roxbury. Maybe you remember him as the forlorn gothic kid Azrael Abyss, Gay Hitler, or the guitarist in the "More Cowbell" sketch. Whichever it is, Chris Kattan has earned a spot in the hearts of a generation of comedy fans .

Chris Kattan has defied comparison, expectations, and sometimes gravity with his inimitable style of physical comedy. By creating some of the most memorable Saturday Night Live characters, as well as his many roles in film and television, Kattan has remained one of the most fearless and versatile comedians in the world.

Not long after Chris was labeled one of the improv group Groundlings' "must-see" performers in the company, he was cast on SNL--and within the first six weeks, Chris's film career also took off.

Now, for the first time, Kattan opens up about eight seasons on SNL, performing alongside friends and future legends including Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, and Tina Fey, and guest hosts from Charlize Theron to Tom Hanks to David Bowie. He also shares stories of his unusual childhood (involving a secluded mountain with zen monks) with Leonard Cohen and Alan Watts. Baby, Don't Hurt Me offers an unprecedented look into Chris's life, from his fascinating relationship with Lorne Michaels, a private Valentine's Day dinner with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, an unforgettable flight with Beyonc�, and even breaking his neck on live television.

Baby, Don't Hurt Me is a candid, revealing memoir from a timeless comedian and a window into the world of millennium-era SNL, from the rehearsals to the after-after parties, as narrated by your hilarious and inspiring friend--who just so happened to be there for all of it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Biography, Comedy, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

Chris Kattan is an American actor and comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, his role as Bob on the first four seasons of The Middle, for playing Doug Butabi in A Night at the Roxbury.

Reviews

[Orsolya · Rating 2 out of 5]

WON THIS ON GOODREADS GIVEAWAYS

You probably know who Christ Kattan is, even if you haven’t thought about him lately. Kattan was a regular on Saturday Night Live, starred in a couple films, and has mingled with comedy greats since birth – literally, being that his father was the legendary Kip King. Kattan shares his life in the comedy profession and SNL in his first memoir, “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live”.

As the subtitle hints, “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” doesn’t fit the traditional tell-all celebrity memoir which usually follows a biography structure. Rather, Kattan opts to focus more on his career and stint on SNL interspersed with some childhood and teen memories. This thesis certainly targets SNL fans and those interested in comedy instead of just those readers seeking a life story. In fact, that is the issue with “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” – Kattan is a bit too matter-of-fact and doesn’t reveal his true emotions or inner thoughts and therefore puts up a wall between himself and the reader. Even if choosing to only re-tell his career, one would hope for clarity and insight and not the bland resume of stories that Kattan delivers.

When Kattan does mention personal antidotes; there are indeed some interesting and well-written blurbs that are told in a stronger voice than the majority of celebrity memoirs that should have never been written. Kattan’s text is illustrative at these points and follows a decent arc.

Kattan has the habit of peppering “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” with tangents and suggestions of YouTube comedy bits or other internet pieces. This is surprisingly well done and adds credibility /interest to Kattan’s story rather than adding ‘fluff’ to “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me”. Again though, this is probably best for readers genuinely interested in comedy and not the average audience.

A common trend in comedian memoirs is the propensity to “try too hard” to be funny and make the readers guffaw with laughter. Kattan states in the introduction that his piece is a book about comedy and not a comedy book. Kattan sticks to this disclaimer and offers occasional jokes within the text but with a natural and organic feel. Actually, it can be argued that “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” is not even that funny overall so if you are expecting knee-slapping humor; you will be sorely disappointed.

As “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” continues to progress, there are notable negative features that brings the entire piece into a downward spiral. First, Kattan’s writing is a tornado and has no definitive direction. The blurbs are chronologically back-and-forth and a smooth, cohesive strand is clearly missing. Kattan also fails to know his audience. Making comments such as that the reader probably doesn’t even know what beta and VHS tapes are; is so far off being that those reading “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” (and those even knowing who Kattan is) are at least in their early 30s and were alive in the 80s and early 90s. A sort of pretentious attitude comes through from Kattan’s end.

This elitist air continues as Kattan is obsessed with name-dropping celebrities and his Hollywood career lifestyle (who he has worked with, dated, partied with, associated with by many degrees, etc). Kattan even randomly mentions a performance with pop-singer Ariana Grande and how his Twitter followers doubled as a result of the appearance. Kattan is SO OBVIOUSLY insecure, desperate to be relevant, and seeks validation. Not only is this sad for him but it also makes “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” shallow, tedious, and boring unless you are into that tabloid gossip sort of thing.

Similarly, Kattan regularly snubs other celebrities but then plays the victim (when he claims to hate those that play the victim) when these celebrities admit to disliking him. He also offhandedly mentions issues with women (he cheats on fiancé) and drug addiction (Kattan doesn’t mention his arrest for DUI nor being kicked out of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix); but again blames others for his actions. Simply, Kattan does not come off as likable in “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me”.

Redemption in Kattan’s character comes when finally evoking some emotion when discussing his neck surgeries and the death of his father (but still playing the victim card). These parts of “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” were more complex and multi-faceted. However, Kattan literally ends the piece more or less bad-mouthing SNL which is not only unnecessary but ends the book on a sour note and alienates the reader.

“Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” is supplemented with a section of photo color plates.

Kattan’s “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” is a retelling of a professional resume but lacks any emotional depth or unique perceptions when telling the story. Kattan overly focuses on name-dropping, gossip, bashing others, and begging for validation and sympathy. The writing in the piece is strong but being there is a co-author and the actual content is poor; Kattan gets little credit for the language style. I was a fan of Kattan’s before reading this memoir but it has resulted in me no longer assuming that role. “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” doesn’t hold a candle to other SNL- alum memoirs. Skip this unless you are a diehard Kattan fan and think he can do no wrong.

[Richard Propes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love Chris Kattan's "Baby Don't Hurt Me," but the truth is that I found it to be a slow, cumbersome read and an underlying whine that permeates virtually every chapter of the book.

Yet, somehow, there are pieces of the book I genuinely enjoyed and it's not a book I would ever trash. It's simply not a book that I found appealing - I finished it, but I'll openly admit that about halfway through I found myself struggling to finish.

Kattan spends about every other chapter recounting memories from his days on Saturday Night Live, up to and including the neck injury he acquired during a skit that seemingly went as planned but was so physically demanding that he fell in just the right way to basically break his neck.

The problem is that Kattan seems to blame everyone but himself...the Emmy-winning props team that used a chair that he knew increased the risks and even, in a kind of subtle way, Tina Fey herself for having penned the skit that was so physically demanding. This issue of blaming seems to float throughout the book, from the divorce of his parents in his childhood to broken relationships to shattered friendships, etc.

While on occasion he takes responsibility for his role in it all, more often than not he seems to lay responsibility on everyone else.

I always find these celebrity memoirs interesting. Sometimes, I end up really admiring the person. Sometimes, I think it would be really cool to meet the person. Other times, as with this one, I think to myself "I bet we wouldn't get along."

While much is made about the many scars in Kattan's life, I must admit that I didn't see nearly as much as people are talking about. I mean...okay, he's a child of divorce and grew up in an isolated rural area. So? He's had relationships end badly? Again, so? He's had friends who found fame before he did? It's Hollywood. Those things tend to happen. I mean, I think we can all testify that Will Ferrell is, in fact, more talented than Chris Kattan in pretty much every way.

Even with the neck injury, a definite life-altering tragedy, the simple truth is that he made it immensely worse by significantly delaying treatment. SNL only paid for 2 of 5 surgeries? Well, again, you delayed treatment and made it worse. You were concerned about burning that bridge, but then you turn around and write a book accusing Lorne Michaels of essentially trying to get you to have sex with a certain film director (which Michaels denies).

Again, weird and why inconsistencies.

However, my biggest problem with the book is this...The vast majority of Kattan's humor is physical. He himself, in this book, acknowledges that the actual dialogue isn't the thing. So, um, reading about these sketches? Not particularly interesting. There's certainly very little spark.

Oh sure, there's fun stuff in here including certain relationships, friends, encounters, and such. You just have to wade through the slog to get to it. "Baby Don't Hurt Me" is occasionally entertaining, but frequently maddening.

When he makes himself vulnerable, the book hits a nice emotional core. There's a section on the ending of his friendship with Will Ferrell, for example, that is rather touching. However, there's several other times where he'll wax eloquently about someone but never identify them.

What's the point?

I didn't hate "Baby Don't Hurt Me," but it almost seems like a book that Kattan should have waited to write maybe a couple more years. It seems like he's on the verge of an emotional breakthrough, but it's hard to imagine this experience is going to help much. It's not a particularly empowering book and I think it's fair to say he's burning a handful of bridges that could have helped him bounce back a bit.

We'll see. For now, I'll chalk this up as a decent enough read and probably a good read for those who enjoy the SNL memoirs or simply celebrity memoirs.

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book about a person you really look up to and then learn about them only to be disappointed by them has a human being? That's me reading this book. I was so excited to get this book. I have always been a fan of Chris Kattan. This book give me a totally different perspective to who he was as a person and quite frankly I'm very disappointed. First off I hated the double spaced writing of this book. I felt like I was reading a report from when I was in high school and they would make you double line everything. Why why make a book like this it's difficult to read and it makes the book appear longer than it really is. Second it really bothered me that he didn't address Tracy Morgan's book about how he treated him so terribly. Actually Tracy Morgan was barely mentioned in this book to spite them working together for years. I know that he's a famous person and so he works around famous people but it felt like every paragraph included a quote from someone famous about how he was a good person. So quite frankly that was weird and came off a little bit pretentious. I guess I just expected so much more and that's the sad part about going into an autobiography of a person's life. We just see this fraction of them as a human, these characters they put out for us and we assume they're upstanding people because they're in Hollywood and there's someone for us to look up to. Unfortunately we read a book like this that proves otherwise it shows us their demons and their Shadows who they really are as a person, and it's always such a let-down. I really wanted to give this book a higher rating. I really wanted to love this book. I just can't. For me Chris Kattan didn't come off a very good person. He never believed in himself so I guess it's obvious that I don't have to believe in him anymore.

Thanks to Netgalley and my library for this book.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody has their favorite SNL era, and it’s usually whatever era was happening while you were in high school. Same for me - I loved the Ferrell, Shannon, Macdonald, Breuer, Oteri, Hammond, Kattan, Quinn, Morgan years.

And that’s why I loved this book. Even if you don’t care about his personal life stories (I personally liked them ok) it’s more than made up for by the “behind the scenes at SNL” stuff. Sometimes in books like this “behind the scenes” just means stories. Kattan has a lot of stories, but he also gives a very thorough description of how the shows were actually put together each week. That was great.

He also covers all of his famous characters - Mango, Peepers, Doug Butabi, Kippy Strugg. It’s a shame that some of his best skits (like “Mood Music”) used songs that keep NBC from being able to put them on the internet today due to licensing.

Some of the reviewers here take Kattan to task for being too whiny and one-sided. I’m not sure if everything he says in his book is true, but while I always appreciate honesty, I don’t need “fair and balanced” in a memoir. Memoirs are supposed to be one-sided.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always liked Chris on SNL and the movie he did with Will Ferrell was hilarious. I had no idea of the neck injury he suffered while performing on the set of SNL and the subsequent surgeries he endured to try and fix this injury. Plus the constant pain he was in for years.
It’s amazing that he kept his positive attitude and optimistic outlook during this difficult time. It’s a personal and triumphant story about a really good guy.
Continued success to you Chris!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this book. If I go by how well-written it is, it would get 5 stars just because Travis Thrasher was involved. If I go by subject matter, it might get 3 or 3.5 stars because it's Chris Kattan, whose characters on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE made me laugh but whose movies usually didn't. If I go by the amount of profanity, it would get 0 stars. (Yes, I know that rating based on profanity is taking subjectivty to a whole new level, but when the F-bomb is fully spelled out but a euphemistic word of the vulgar variety has asterisks between the first and last letters, it takes hypocrisy to a new level and reinforces my questioning of whether using profanity adds anything. The short answer is no.)

But this is a memoir. I probably wouldn't have picked it up if Thrasher -- a favorite author/writer -- hadn't been involved. But from page 1 I found myself drawn into Kattan's life and the stories he shares. From his parents and school days to his work with the Groundlings and SNL to his movies and the injury that continues to affect his life, Kattan bares his soul to readers.

Is he honest in the retelling? That's for each reader to decide. There is a genuineness as he relates the good, the bad, and the ugly of his life and career. He attempts, and mostly succeeds, in not wallowing in self-pity or playing the victim, even when he might be justified in doing so. His sense of humor -- sometimes informative, sometimes sarcastic or self-deprecating -- keeps the book from being too heavy at times.

In the end, I'm giving BABY, DON'T HURT ME: STORIES AND SCARS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 4 stars. The Mr. Peepers and Mango stories alone make it deserving.

[Mary K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one tough review because I’ve always loved Kattan on SNL and thought the cast he was with was one of the best in the history of SNL. But I’m reviewing the book, not the performer. I rarely read a book by a stand up comedian that’s good. Their humor doesn’t translate well into writing and they know little about writing a book in the first place. It still bugs me that this is the only profession anyone - certainly a celebrity - can walk into with no experience or training. But I’m among those who buy books by celebrities I like, and I read anything that’s about SNL so I suppose I’m part of the problem.

I don’t want to get into writing here about Kattan but in short, he just sounded defensive and whiny a lot, as when a reviewer he loved hurt his feelings by writing negatively about his unsuccessful movies. What each person did to him at SNL. Which guests he didn’t like. And he wrote in way too much detail about irrelevant trivia. He’s a Betamax man. What he watched on TV when he was a kid. How many Twitter followers he has.

Plus I got lost in the maze of name dropping and didn’t really care who he had dinner with.

I really wish publishers would demand more out of celebrities when they begin writing a book.

[Mediaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was shocked at how much I liked this book--I didn't expect much and instead couldn't put it down. It's not like I'm a huge Chris Kattan fan--but the book is so detailed about SNL and mostly well written by his co-author that it's easily the best Saturday Night Live book I've read.

The book is smartly organized. It's not the typical boring chronology where you waste the first third of the book on his childhood. Instead the first few chapters are about SNL, which is what we want to hear about. Then he skips back and forth between his private life and TV or movie work. It's keeps everything fresh and entertaining. There are a few cases where things out of order causes some confusion and there are a couple times stories need more detail (especially when it comes to his marriages, which he rushes through too quickly).

The biggest surprise is how he names names of those at SNL that mistreated him. Lorne Michaels sounds horrible as a boss. Will Ferrell gets revealed to be a petty bad friend that just calls him into an office and tells him their friendship is over. Many others either help or hurt Kattan's time there, but ultimately he admits that he caused some of his own problems because he didn't fight for himself or didn't speak up when he should have. He just accepted things as they came, and the SNL workplace is abusive where employees must fight for their boss's approval like dogs fighting each other for scraps of food. Kattan never fought and often ignored the signs that he needed to play the game the way the others were.

There are a few times he seems to shift blame to others where he could have been more assertive, not just at SNL but in his life with girlfriends, wives, career, and horrible broken neck. To marry the first wife when you're not in love but just to give her a green card? To be married to his second wife for only 59 days? To go over a year with pain without seeing a doctor, then discover he had a broken neck that needed five surgeries? Then to not tell anyone about it so they thought he was just a drug addict? Why? It makes no sense to allow himself to make so many bad decisions or to have so many rumors spread about him.

He did have some drug problems and went to rehab, but that was unrelated to the injury. He also mentions often that people thought he was gay, which may explain why so many hot female Hollywood stars wanted to become his friend (it's incredible the gorgeous women that he dates or has long relationships with, like Cameron Diaz) but he claims he was totally straight. He even mentions major names that he knew or socialized with. Beyonce? Seriously? Tom Cruise? He manages to dish about them, including implying that Cruise had plenty of private male friends.

The book is fascinating and unexpected. It's not boringly treating Lorne with kid gloves like some of the big history books about the show and not shallow half-comedy routines the way some of the other stars wrote. It tells a painful story that all of us can learn from. And hopefully Kattan can learn from his hurt too.

Read in 2019 and 2025.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm weirdly obsessed with behind the scenes stories from SNL. Chris Kattan wasn't particularly an actor I followed but Seth Meyers, who I like, wrote the forward and recommended the book so I gave it a try.

The book made me feel...sad for Kattan. There were definitely two voices, the ghost writer and Katan, which I wish was less obvious. After finishing the book you're left with the impression that Kattan has a lot of hurt and anger about his career and the ways he was treated and manipulated. His injury and his feeling that he couldn't be truthful about it was sad, but his telling of stories about x actor "who I won't identify" just felt gross. Either tell the story, or don't, don't dance around it.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a number of comedians books and usually come out feeling like I understand them more and can respect them. However with this one I feel I was spun a lot of thrown mishmashed stories. Nothing flowed. You were thrown back and forth from childhood to adult over and over. He felt like he had a bunch of excuses and kept repeating that he wasn’t that type of guy, but every story proved he was that guy. Over and over again he kept losing friends and he didn’t understand why or it wasn’t his fault. Then a marriage of 8 weeks, where he gave in to his wife and allowed her to have the press who helped pay for the wedding so they could take pictures of the celebrity guests which he didn’t want. Bull!! Then an accident suffered one night on SNL when he told people over and over that it was unsafe yet he went 2 years not saying anything then 18 years cause he wasn’t that type of guy to want a handout for money. Come on sir. Workcomp in any industry is workcomp. I don’t buy any of it.

[Patricia Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book written by a celebrity before. I've been a fan of Kattan since I was young. A Night at the Roxbury is one of my favorite movies. So reading his book made me a bigger fan. He is so open and honest in his writing. I learned a lot about SNL and what makes the show run. Also, before reading this book I was never a huge Will Ferrell fan (its it's just the same old shit with him in all his movies) and I officially can't stand him after reading this book. If you're a fan of Kattan (lol, that rhymed) then read this book. I felt so many emotions while reading this book. I can't really say anymore without spoiling it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on impulse at my local library and I am glad I did. I thought it quite well written.
I enjoyed the realness of it. I liked how he did not dwell on just the SNL years. I liked how he respected the privacy of others.
I know most of us can relate to not wanting to share our challenges for fear of others looking down on us or taking advantage of us. I am sorry that his friends didn't push harder to find out what was really going on, but then I don't know their side of the story.
Kattan is not my favorite SNL player, but he was definitely memorable.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Chris Kattan...his book definitely delivered. Torn between 4 and 5 stars, gave him 5 cause he seems like a pretty good guy.

[John Ready Reader One · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 rounded up. It was enjoyable enough and learned more about him.

[Buddy Gott · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I'm going to admit that I've been a big fan of Chris Kattan ever since he first appeared on Saturday Night Live. Right from the beginning, I thought he was very funny and incredibly talented. In addition to his work on SNL, I also loved his performance in the very funny and underrated movie, A Night At The Roxbury. It's very silly, but I liked it a lot and I thought Kattan was hilarious in it.

When I heard about this autobiography, I was immediately interested in it. Even though I've liked Kattan for years, I really knew very little about him. I'd heard that he'd had some personal and professional hardships over the years, but I really didn't know any specifics, so I thought it would be interesting to read about them from Chris himself.

And I was right. There were quite a few fascinating stories shared in this book. As soon as I started reading it, I got totally wrapped up in it. Kattan had a very unique childhood that was part showbiz in Los Angeles with his father, yet part very isolated on a mountain with his mother and stepfather. His later growth into a comedic actor was also fascinating to learn about, especially his days with The Groundlings and his early years on Saturday Night Live. It was especially fun for me to read the behind-the-scenes stories of some of his classic sketches and characters from SNL.

And it certainly doesn't stop there with SNL. The book covers a lot. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone and I'm reluctant to share too much of what Chris talks about other than to say that his good times, both on and off the screen, have definitely been mixed with some very hard times that I was unaware of.

If I have any complaint about this book, I'd say that I wish it had been longer. I'm not saying that in some sort of nerdy, super-fan way, like, "Ooooooh, I LOVED it!!! I wish there were a thousand more pages to it. More Chris! More Chris!! More Chris!!!"

No.

What I'm saying is that I wish it had been longer because it seemed that some of the stories in it were actually a little too short and should have been expanded upon. For example, without giving anything too major away, there was a story about a romantic relationship of his that had ended badly. It was told in less than a page and I feel that a few more details on how it had affected him would have made it even more compelling to read about.

In the same vein, I would also liked to have learned a little bit more about some of his more recent projects since he left Saturday Night Live. But I feel like I'm sort of nit-picking there. I don't like to review things on the basis of what they do not include. That would be sort of like me giving a horrible review to a Blue Oyster Cult song because it didn't have enough cowbell in it. Only the cowbell that is actually there in the song should be reviewed, right?

My point is to say that I very much enjoyed what is here in this book. I'm very glad I read it and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about Chris Kattan.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned even more about the behind the scenes look at SNL.

Very easy reas

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir was almost as entertaining as "Kattan" himself.
My family has always been into nicknames in a major way, and from a very young age, one of mine has always been "Mango", so from the first time I saw Kattan's Mango character, I felt a kinship with him. Plus, it didn't hurt that he's just freaking hilariously funny.

As another reviewer mentioned, it's off-putting that his relationships were often with much, much younger women and/or a total mockery of the institution of marriage, but anyway. He didn't have the best role models, either.

It almost went from 4 to 3 stars when he mentioned Amy Schumer and Kate McKinnon as two of the best modern-day comics (really?) of the last 20 years or so. To narrow it down to just two, and to pick those...well...I disagree. I lost a lot of respect for him there. But...then he made up for that when he wrote about musical guests on SNL, because I completely get this ("I thought it was just me..."):

"Whenever I watched the show, years before I was a part of it, I was always impressed when a musical guest made an appearance in a sketch. There was something so exciting about it. Every time this life-altering event would occur, I would yell madly for whoever I was watching the show with, most likely my dad, should they happen to be out of the room, 'Dad! Oh my G-d! Aerosmith is on 'Wayne's World'!' or 'Dad! Oh my G-d! Madonna and Barbara Streisand are on 'Coffee Talk'!"

RIGHT??
I LOVED that.
I was very entertained by this book, the SNL history, the Kattan story in general. I was saddened by the part about his dad dying, I can relate, and am more of a fan of Kattan than I already was.
Very readable and for the most part, lots of fun.

Recommended.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, some folks really did not like this book, or Chris Kattan, I guess! I...had a different reaction, but then, I'm admittedly not terribly discerning when it comes to celebrity autobiographies, and I appreciated that he's pretty honest about his flaws and the things he's handled badly. I also wasn't hoping for something funny all the time, because frankly, I tend to find that kind of comedian autobiography completely exhausting. That said, I did find his anecdotes amusing, even if not constantly laugh-out-loud hilarious. The name dropping didn't bother me either because, duh, he's famous and hangs out with famous people, so what?

I've always wondered where he went, since I will also admit that A Night at the Roxbury is one of my all-time favorite movies (I know, I super love dumb comedies, whatever, dudes!). This explains a lot!

Anyway, I enjoyed this and very much hope that he's in a better place these days. It definitely sounds like he's trying to be, and good for him.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I really enjoyed this one! As much as you can enjoy an at times very sad story (which was suprising!). It's really well put together. Chris alternates his childhood/personal life with chapters about Saturday Night Live. Both are really interesting, but because of the alternating there's absolutely no chance you will get bored of either. Man...there's just a lot of surprises in this book. From Roxbury movie craziness, to his problems with Will Ferrell, to his meeting with Tom Cruise, to his secret injury and multiple surgeries! All this plus a crazy childhood living on a mountain and tons of SNL stories! What more do you want? Fantastic read!

[Sean Kottke · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I wasn't ever much of a fan of Kattan's comedy on SNL, this book is a revelation. He spins several excellent behind the scenes yarns, and has been connected to a surprising number of luminaries over the years (Carlos Castañeda was a childhood acquaintance, who knew?). His stories of his father are especially poignant, climaxing with reflections on the one character in Kattan's repertoire that I couldn't get enough of on SNL, Buddy Mills, who was based on his father. Their relationship reminded me very much of my own with my father in terms of mentoring an appreciation for film and classic comedy.

[Adam Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good autobiography that holds my interest when I'm not normally a big fan. Kattan had an interesting childhood (much weirder than I would have thought). He's also very candid about his time in SNL as well as his personal failures. He does tend to play the victim, but he's often a victim of his own poor judgment, so that reduces my eye-rolls to page ratio. And, unlike many celebrity autobiographies, he devotes the entire manuscript to events in his life and doesn't devote the last 25 percent to filler. A very interesting read, although you may find Kattan himself rather whiny at times.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zipped through this fantastic memoir of SNL by one of the guys I always thought was the funniest and never failed to crack me up. What I didn’t know was that he was a great storyteller and a helluva writer. Full of stories I’d never heard about backstage at SNL(and Ive heard and read plenty of them)—and some interesting personal stories about Kagan,himself, this is a great piece of TV history. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer Mathews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent memoir of his childhood and time at SNL. Good stuff, but too many "I can't say who this is" BS. If you're going to write your memoirs and you don't want you name names what's the point? Don't even talk about the situation then. It's like when people post some random thing on FB without saying what's going on. It makes me nuts.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saturday Night Live has led to the success of many of its stars, but there are also tragic turns that some of their lives took. Chris Kattan was really popular for awhile and he wrote a memoir that perfectly captured the highs and extreme lows of life as a star on Saturday Night Live.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a e book for my i pad from net galley. I enjoyed reading it. It is a good bio book about Chris Kattan. It was a well written book. I enjoyed his acting roles on Saturday night live and when he acted in movies.

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real story of a real person. You won’t always like him, but sometimes he’s great. He’s petty, selfish, generous, big inside; you get the picture. This autobiography is not prettied up with no bad parts. The honesty is sometimes hard to take, but it’s real.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a sucker for SNL memoirs, but I didn't like Kattan's book. I loved his old characters (almost all of which didn't age well), but I didn't like his book.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celebrity memoirs are my guilty pleasure, and when I saw this one on the new reads shelf at my library, I thought what the heck, even though I’ve never considered myself a particular “fan” of Chris Kattan. He seems to have disappeared from the public eye in a way, appearing mainly in guest supporting roles here and there on sitcoms.

I was curious why that was, and in beginning the book I was surprised to learn he had broken his neck during a skit on SNL and faced years of pain and multiple surgeries. This gave me some sympathy for his struggles. But as I continued reading, I grew bored with what seems more like a litany of resentments against former friends and other associates he conspicuously says he “will not name.”

While he does say his is a book *about* comedy and not a comedy book, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the art of comedy, I kept wondering why he wasn’t more funny. Any sense of humor he may have does not come across in his writing.

I also didn’t get much of a sense of self reflection. His content is mainly exhaustively detailed descriptions of the evolution of characters and sketches, which will hold the attention of only the most rabid SNL fans.

In the end, I skimmed ahead and called it read. Sorry, Chris.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Saturday Night Live, fans of television in general and fans of comedy will find Chris Kattan's memoir entertaining, amusing and somewhat sad. Mr. Kattan's book showcases his SNL experience beginning three-quarters of the way through its 21st season. He intersperses these recollections with stories of his unconventional childhood, his love of old school comedy which he shared with his father and fine tuning his craft as a member of The Groundlings with fellow comedians Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri. The rigors of physical comedy and a Golden Girls sketch brought on his painful and untimely exit from SNL, then there's the culmination of lost loves and addictions. Sadly and unfortunately, some SNL cast members were unable to overcome the power of addiction but on this note Kattan's memoir comes to a hopeful conclusion.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this engaging e-Galley.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a can-not-put-down-this-book reading experience! It starts out really interesting and just keeps building! It has some real sad parts as to his getting injured while at SNL. I was so curious where Chris had been after leaving the show that I read a bit about him online which led me to his book. Facinating guy! He was one of the top comedians ever on that show but seems to be one of the least appreciated.